Routine.

The days here are starting to get darker sooner, a little bit cooler (low 90s instead of 100s, which i will gladly take!), and our routine for this school year is set and running.

Julia loves being homeschooled. I'm focusing on practicing handwriting right now, and Julia's penmanship has really improved in just a couple of weeks!!  She loves to learn and is a sponge. I'm pretty sure she doesn't even need me right now. 

For right now, I'm planning on doing monthly science themes, and this month is animals.  We learned about mammals and have moved on to reptiles.  We're going to be spending some time at the zoo to round out the theme. She has so many interests that we should be able to fill out the school months with lots of fun themes.

 I'd definitely say, though, that Julia's strength is art.  The girl expresses all of her ideas and emotions by drawing them out.  She naturally takes things and creates with them. It's such a blessing that she uses this as a tool when upset because it's how we can figure why she broke down and wept like giants were pulling her limbs off when words escape her.

 Dearest Elisabeth is in her final year of elementary school.  She seems to like her teacher and has made friends in her class.  At her school, they have the opportunity to try out to be in accelerated extra curriculars--music, art, or drama.  They are basically clubs that happen during school hours.  She is trying out for all three (only 20 per extra curricular are chosen), so she's excited to see if she's chosen.

 She's got her sights set for drama, which is fitting for her.  :)

 Evan and I were just discussing the other day how Elisabeth is in this netherworld of childhood--still little enough to want dolls, but old enough to discuss concepts like The Civil War or inflation with (topics of interest to her currently).  Just the other night we were discussing that the other two girls don't seem as old or mature as Elisabeth was at their age.  Then we got to wondering if maybe it just seems that way because Elisabeth is the first--no one to compare her too, no idea how the whole parenting thing worked so learning as we went. We're trying to make sure we soak up this age because pretty soon she won't want those toys anymore, that netherworld will no longer be, and she will be more adult than child.  Being a parent is hard.  Why doesn't anyone ever talk about it?!  ;)

 Vivian is crazy.

 I'm not kidding.  She is just daredevil, future emergency room patient, crazy.

 She is as surefooted as a mountain goat and determined to scale the highest mountain her little 18 month self can find. And, she's just so BUSY. She needs lots of gross motor time, which with the cooler weather slowly rolling in, we can now give her in abundance.

I'm pretty sure if she had it her way, she'd just live on the trampoline and jump all the live long day.

The best part about our routine for the school year shaping out is that Evan has a job where he can be apart of it this year.  I don't have to drag all the girls to dance classes and try to contain Vivian. Evan is home on time for an early dinner and I get to take Elisabeth to her classes on Monday and Wednesday nights by myself!  I get to read for an entire, uninterrupted hour!  Plus, I get some quality alone time with Elisabeth.  Evan takes Julia to her class on Fridays, which is equally nice. We got so used to not having Evan around that I had forgotten how much easier it is to function during the week with two parents available.  He's home on weekends, all week nights, can get days off when needed. Good thing we like him so much, right?